Maverick Viñales has revealed he holds “zero expectations” for his performa🌺nce at the🅷 inaugural MotoGP race in Thailand, with recapturing his enjoyment of riding his stated aim for the three days ahead.

With memories of a frustrating test at the 2.8-mile Chang International Circuit in February still relatively fresh, the 2♉3-year old insisted he was feeling a good deal more positive than he was at Aragon, a race he labelled🦩 as “the worst in my time with Yamaha.”

But with one eye 🤡on Michelin’s tyre allocation, which features rears with a stiffer construction – the same as those&nbs💃p;used for the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in August – Viñales isn’t holding out any hope of securing a great result.

“I feel more positive about myself, but the expectations are the same,” he said of his approach to the w꧙eekend. “I have zero expectations. I want to just enjoy riding and see if we can take something positive from this weekend. Anyway I’ll try to enjoy it and b♒e the best rider I can be. That’s it and nothing more.

Viñales set the e💦ighth fastest time here in February, but race pace a🏅nd comments over the three days showed him and Movistar Yamaha to be even further of that.

“I think it’s going to be really hard here,” he said, “because alr🌜eady in the test the grip was really down and here they [Michelin] have brought harder compounds, like Austria. We struggle with these hard types of tyres.

“But anyway, let’s see. I have made no expectations in my mind. I’ll try to go, give my feeling and see i💛f we can be happy or positive.”

Much intrigue surrounds Yamaha’s possibly strategy to overcome its current issues. At Aragon team-mate Valentino﷽ Rossi spoke of th🃏e disconnect that exists between racing team and factory and Viñales stated the need to “change a lot the bike” for 2019.

“I really don’t know [what needs to change],” he said. “This is not in my hands so I honestly can’t say anything. I can say that, for example, the bike is not working so t🐻hౠey should change a lot the bike to make it work for the tyres we’re riding right now.

“Anyway, as I said, it’s one and a half years [that Yamaha has been in t𝔉his situation]. In two months they will not change so we need𒅌 to keep positive, to keep a little bit more happier in the team, and pass the races the best way we can.

“And maybe we can catch a podium or maybe some top fives. Tha🍸t would be great.”